1. Objectives
Explain how new types of stores and marketing changed American life.
Analyze the ways in which Americans developed a mass culture.
Describe the new forms of popular entertainment in the late 1800s.

2. Terms and People
Mark Twain – a satirical novelist who wrote about American life in the late 1800s
Gilded Age – term coined by Mark Twain to describe the post-Reconstruction era which was characterized by a façade of prosperity
conspicuous consumerism – purchasing of goods and services to impress others
mass culture – similar consumption patterns as a result of the spread of transportation, communication, and advertising

3. Terms and People (continued)
Joseph Pulitzer – an immigrant who became a publisher of sensationalistic newspapers
William Randolph Hearst – a competitor of Pulitzer’s who also published sensationalistic newspapers
Horatio Alger – a novelist who wrote about characters who succeeded through hard work
vaudeville – type of show, including dancing, singing, and comedy sketches, that became popular in the late 19th century

4. What luxuries did cities offer to the middle class?
During the last part of the 19th century, a new middle class lifestyle gained popularity and influence in America.
Though some disliked the values of this era, the shared American culture created then would persist for the next century.

5. In his 1873 novel, The Gilded Age, novelist Mark Twain satirically depicted American society as gilded, or having a rotten core covered with gold paint.
Most Americans were not as cynical, but Twain’s label stuck, and historians call the late 19th century the Gilded Age.

6. More people had more money, and more products were available.
Industrialization and urbanization changed the lives of American workers, as more people began to work for wages rather than for themselves on farms.
More people had more money, and more products were available.
For many, this led to a culture of conspicuous consumerism. 6

7. By the 1870s, many big cities had department stores, which turned shopping into a form of entertainment for middle-class men and women.
Department stores attracted customers with wide-spread advertising and a variety of high-quality goods at fair prices. 7

8. People began to measure success by what they could buy, and they equated purchasing power with a higher standard of living.
In this period, the cost of living decreased because manufactured products and new technology cost less.
Better sanitation and medical care contributed to a longer life expectancy. 8

9. Change in the Gilded Age
Changes for Women
Changes for Men
Store bought clothing,
prepackaged foods, and
indoor plumbing made
some tasks easier.
Public transportation allowed families to live farther from the cities.
Rising expectations of cleanliness and more complicated meals made some tasks harder.
Men often had to commute long distances to work.
Many women had to work outside the home to achieve a middle-class lifestyle.
Men worked hard, but the American culture taught that hard work would pay off. 9

10. Rich and poor wore the same clothing styles.
One of the effects of the spread of transportation, communication, and advertising was that Americans became more alike in their consumption patterns.
Rich and poor wore the same clothing styles.
People bought the same kinds of products.
This phenomenon is known as mass culture. 10

11. The newspapers of the Gilded Age both reflected and helped create mass culture.
Between 1870 and 1900, the number of newspapers increased from about 600 to more than 1,600.
Ethnic and special-interest publishers catered to the array of urban dwellers, especially immigrants. 11

12. The sensationalistic newspapers of William Randolph Hearst competed with Pulitzer’s papers for readers.
Joseph Pulitzer believed that the job of a newspaper was to inform people and to stir up controversy. His papers were sensationalistic.

13. Stephen Crane wrote about New York slums.
During the Gilded Age, literature and art that explored harsh realities was popular.
Stephen Crane wrote about New York slums.
Horatio Alger wrote about characters who succeeded through hard work.
Robert Henri and others developed a style of painting known as the Ashcan School, which depicted the squalor of New York slums. 13

14. Public education expanded rapidly, as grade-school education became compulsory, more teenagers began attending high schools, and kindergartens opened.
As a result, the literacy rate climbed to nearly 90 percent by 1900.

15. Schools began to do a better job of preparing people for careers.
Schools taught skills that workers needed in budding industries.
Teachers attended training schools, and reformers such as John Dewey introduced new teaching methods.
Universities began to provide specialized training for urban careers such as social work. 15

16. Education for All
Immigrants
Schools taught immigrants English and helped Americanize them.
Women
A few careers were open to women.
There was an upsurge in women’s colleges, and many state universities began to accept women.
African Americans
Limited access to white institutions led to a growth in schools and colleges for African Americans. 16

17. During the Gilded Age, new kinds of entertainment emerged.
Amusement Parks
Coney Island and similar parks offered roller coasters and other rides.
Outdoor Events
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show toured America.
Chautauquas offered storytelling, bands, singers, and lectures on politics and morals.
Fun in the City
Vaudeville shows were a mixture of musical drama, songs, and comedy.
Nickelodeons introduced motion pictures.
Ragtime bands played in music halls. 17

18. Baseball, America’s national sport, became extremely popular during the Gilded Age, although after 1887 it was segregated.
Horse and bicycle racing, boxing, football, and basketball also became popular spectator sports.

19. Section Review
QuickTake Quiz
Know It, Show It Quiz 19